Kevin Hunt: How Not To Drive Like An Idiot On Snow And Ice

March 09, 2013|Kevin Hunt - The Bottom Line, The Hartford Courant

It's no secret, at least in Connecticut, that this state has the country's best drivers on snow and ice.

Who could question a state that, when snow falls, remains so remarkably calm and accident-free, with virtually no traffic tie-ups or slowdowns, and never panics over a forecast or shuts down schools after a mere dusting?

Why can't all the other snowblower states be like us?

Because they can't, The Bottom Line has put together some blizzard-inspired guidelines for snowy-winter newbies, visitors to the state and pass-through drivers on their way to New York or a Vermont ski chalet. For the rest of us: A simple, all-knowing, born-in-Connecticut nod. (Next winter, you'll thank us.)

Four-wheel drive or all-wheel-drive does not turn a driver into an almighty, invincible being: Three slushy inches have already fallen on top of an icy base layer and the guy behind you on I-84 westbound in the Ford Expedition riding your rear bumper is flashing his high beams. Why? Because you're going 45 mph, an appropriate speed in these weather conditions? No! Because he has four-wheel drive and you don't.

"Four-wheel drive definitely creates a false sense of security," says Mark Cox, director of Bridgestone's Winter Driving School in Steamboat Springs, Colo. "Basically, it's a nanny that allows us to get away with bad driving techniques."

Like what? Suppose you're momentarily stuck in four inches of slush at a stoplight in a downtown intersection and you're trying to accelerate.

"You mash the gas," says Cox, "and with four wheels pulling instead of two, the thing just leaps forward. Then, suddenly, the driver thinks, 'Wow, this thing is fantastic. Well, it's not. It's just that you were not allowed to make a mistake because you had double the wheels pulling to propel you forward. But when it comes to steering and braking, there's no benefit."

Know your braking system: Does your car have an anti-lock braking system, or ABS, that helps prevent skidding when you apply the brakes? Sensors on two or four wheels, depending on your ABS, detect a locked wheel and promptly release braking pressure to avoid a skid.

To know how to maneuver out of a full-blown spin-out, you must know your braking system. Is it four-wheel ABS or maybe just rear-wheel ABS (for owners of an older light truck? Or, as on a vintage vehicle, is it traditional manual brakes with no antilock protection?

Out-of-staters, don't be embarrassed to admit you don't know.

"In our experience," says Cox, "people really don't know.

When you know your braking system, you'll know how to make an emergency stop on snow and ice: Before ABS, traditional technique advised pumping the brakes. Not now.

"If you have a four-wheel anti-lock system," says Cox, "the best thing you can do in a true emergency is mash the [brake] pedal down as hard as you can and hold it there. At the same time, ABS allows you to brake and steer. With the old pumping technique, you can't."

Light trucks used rear-wheel ABS for about a decade, says Cox, because the lightweight back end made the truck vulnerable to sliding.

"In that case," says Cox, "you have to treat it as if it doesn't have anti-lock brakes and go back to the old pumping technique."

If you have to pump the brakes on ice: Start slowly, even if the natural reaction is to slam on the brakes, just until the wheel locks up. (You'll sense the lockup, says Cox, because the car interior becomes quieter and you're sliding, instead of rolling, over the ice.)

"You want to keep it as short as possible and then you release completely," says Cox, "allowing the wheels to roll and re gain grip and maintain directional stability."

Then pump again, until lockup, and release. As the car's speed decreases, pump more frequently with lighter pressure. "As the car speed decreases,"" says Cox, "it takes less braking force to lock up the wheels each time."

Trick question: If your car spins out, do you accelerate at any point to regain control?

Answer: Yes.

Most drivers know to steer into the skid, so if you're in a clockwise spinout you turn the wheel toward the left. But, says Cox, you'll have to speed up to regain full control.

"You want to add a little acceleration," he says, "which is completely counterintuitive. Once you've made the correction with steering, you've done all you can do. The next thing you need to reverse the situation is add a little weight back to the rear wheels. That's where the acceleration comes in. Counterintuitive, but the fastest way to correct the skid."

How to avoid rear-tire slides: You'll want a car with electronic stability control, which applies the brakes automatically to avoid skidding. ESC became mandatory on all 2012 model vehicles. Edmunds.com recommends rear tires with at least as much tread as the front tires.

If it's winter, does a car need winter tires? Not necessarily, but winter tires provide best performance in winter.

"All-season tires can get you by in winter and summer," says Cox, "but you have to realize that you're limited on both ends and adjust your driving accordingly."

A tire's tread depth becomes more important in snow and ice than the type of tire. Tires should have at least 6/32-inch deep tread, says Cox, and preferably more.

A half-worn winter tire, he says, gives the performance of a new all-season tire. A half-worn all-season tire in snow is like a new summer tire. "And summer tires," says Cox, "have no place on ice- and snow-covered roads."